Health Links for Women Who Served in Vietnam

But when it is a
beloved and intimate human being that is dying,
besides this horror at the extinction of life there is a severance,
a spiritual wound, which like a physical wound is sometimes fatal
and sometimes heals, but always aches and shrinks
at any external irritating touch.~Leo Tolstoy "War and
Peace"

"It is normal to be affected by trauma. Normal. Normal."
-- Patience Mason

If you are here to learn about PTSD, the
first thing you have to do is go to Patience' website. She has lots of
good information that she is giving away, such as samples of her newsletter The
Post-Traumatic Gazette. Here is a snippet from the issue
on holidays:

"Most people do not realize that people with PTSD have anniversary reactions. Holidays may also be anniversaries of trauma and bring up a lot of pain. This is one of
the most distressing forms of reexperiencing for survivors and their families."

"Although
highly regarded by her peers, she feels ashamed and inadequate about her performance as a
nurse in Vietnam. Afraid to look into the future, she refused to look at the past, feeling
that if she did, she would start crying and never stop."

"Linda thought Vietnam was behind her. There had been temper flare-ups, drinking binges and
occasional nightmares, but she never related it to anything. In her sleep, Linda kept
seeing the casualties and the body-bags. . . Her
difficulties were compounded by a self imposed system of denial. She was convinced that
because she wasn't a nurse or a grunt, that she really didn't see anything over there."

"The irony of my situation is that through my attempts to deal with PTSD I have, in fact,
met some quality people who are willing to reach out to me in my pain; yet the PTSD
compels me to keep them at a distance. "

"Because nurses were not officially in combat, few people believed they could suffer the aftereffects of war, like nightmares and flashbacks. Jackie Rhoads was one of these skeptics:
"I remember thinking, 'Oh, I don't think they really exist.'"

The brave front worked until she reached age 49, when nightmares,
flashbacks and indecisiveness became so overwhelming she was hospitalized
twice.

"Most of the time was spent denying that there was anything wrong
with me. That's true of a lot of nurses with PTSD, to hide what's going on
inside yourself. You want to believe you're stronger than this, but it has
nothing to do with strength or weakness. We lived a year, in a formative
year of our life, in a very abnormal situation.

". . . that groundbreaking research revealed Agent Orange as an equal opportunity toxin — just as harmful to women as it has been to men -- causing increased rates of cancers, miscarriages and other health problems."

"Besides battling her memories,
[she] is now fighting a degenerative disease that is attacking her joints and
organs. Her doctors say the cause of her illness is exposure during the war to a
combination of chemical agents and pesticides used to clear trees and identify
targets."

What was Operation Ranch Hand?

"Operation Ranch Hand was the military
code for the spraying of
herbicides from U.S. Air Force aircraft in Vietnam from 1962 through
1971. Prior to 1965, Agent Pink and Agent Green were the predominant
defoliants, then Agent Orange, Purple and White following by a little lacing
with DDT. The Ranch Hand Personnel were most closely linked to exposure
because of handling and spraying of defoliants, and therefore have been the
main focus of research studies to determine adverse effects." ~ Nurse
Chris B., RVN

Agent Orange is the name used by the
U.S. military for a 1:1 mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D
and 2,4,5-T.
The name, Agent Orange, was derived from the orange stripe on drums in which
the herbicide was stored.

The following women who
landed in Vietnam or entered Vietnamese waters (were in-country) for a
minimum 24 hour period; during or following the Vietnam War to assist
Australia’s and the Allies’ military presence or peacemaking roles or
to conduct post-war activities are invited to register on the Female
Vietnam Veteran & Civilian Health Register:

members of Australian
defence organisations (the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force),
including women who were seconded to Allied services;

members of
philanthropic organisations, civilian nursing, medical and surgical
teams;

official
entertainers;

flight attendants;

administrative
personnel;

war correspondents;
and

women who travelled
to Vietnam to support a serving or ill family member.

WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS IN THE STATES??

Recognising the sampling limitations of the survey, the conditions for which there is apparent statistically significant excess in female veterans in comparison to the general community are:

asthma

breast cancer

depression

eczema and dermatitis

gastric reflux

haemorrhoids

hearing and ear problems

hepatitis (A and B)

hydatidiform mole

ischaemic heart disease

live births with labour complications

malaria

overall total of cancers

panic attacks

self-assessed rating of fair or poor health

stillbirths

VA Links

I
understand there is much anger directed toward the government and the VA.
Do not let your experience, or someone else's experience, with the VA in the
past or with the VA at another location deter you from using the VA now.
Give your local VA a chance!

"Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the
Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) health care program for women, focusing on: (1) the progress VA made in removing barriers that may
prevent women veterans from obtaining VA health care services; and (2) the extent to which VA health care services, particularly
gender-specific services, are available to and used by women veterans."